New Jersey Association of Railroad Passengers NEWSLETTER REPORT April 16, 2001 Published Bi-Monthly. PO Box 7305, Freehold, N.J. 07728-7305 SNJLRT TRENTON EXTENSION PLANS ADVANCE Foes of Southern New Jersey Light Rail Transit (SNJLRT) have been slow to acknowledge that light rail is coming; many continue to fight the last war. That’s great news for Trenton and Mercer county officials, New Jersey Transit, and NJ-ARP, all moving to grow SNJLRT even more. The latest effort: plans to extend SNJLRT north (or west) of NJT’s Trenton Station on the Northeast Corridor with a “Capitol Extension” to the state capitol building. On Tuesday, April 10, NJ-ARP Director James Ciacciarelli participated in an informal workshop on the Trenton extension, exploring... Options, Potential Problems, and Station Sites for New Extension: Current plans call for a 1.3-mile extension running north on Clinton Avenue, then west on State Street, with SNLRT running in mixed traffic; the route was chosen from up to 40 potential alignments, according to NJ Transit officials. Three stations are envisioned: one at the federal courthouse, a second along the pedestrian mall segment of State Street, and a third in front of the state capitol building (or “Statehouse”) itself. Business and property owners along State Street have been contacted and consulted with by NJT, in an effort to identify potential problems with construction and/or operations, and NJT has publicized its SNJLRT information number (888-313-6989). For NJ-ARP ’s part, Ciacciarelli tested the... Interest in, and Fear of, Street Running in the State Capital: NJ-ARP, almost alone, has long insisted SNJLRT, because it is LRT, had the flexibility (and federal tolerance) to run in city streets in both Camden and Trenton, providing true downtown access. (While diesel-multiple-unit trains could, theoretically, do the same, the Federal Railroad Administration has actively discouraged DMU street running in the United States.) NJ-ARP ’s Ciacciarelli tested the acceptance level of street running, finding that much of the interest is in re-opening the current pedestrian mall to auto traffic; presumably, SNJLRT would be welcomed through the door, as well. But SNJLRT’s welcome into Trenton proper seems... Limited to Statehouse Terminus; No Push to West Trenton Line Yet Seen: Ciacciarelli inquired about access to the West Trenton Station, currently served by SEPTA and possibly to be served by NJT’s future West Trenton Line service. Interest appears muted, at best. “Give us the money and we’ll build it,” one NJT officer quipped, while acknowledging that NJT had not contacted local officials in Ewing Township, where the West Trenton Station is located – in NJ-ARP ’s view, an opportunity that should not be missed. NJT’s conservatism can be forgiven in part, since... Funds for the Current ‘Capitol Extension’ Plan Itself Must Be Identified: SNJLRT supporters (including NJ-ARP) took a gamble in the late 1990s – we still think it was a good one – in opting for reliance on the state to fund the project; it’s enabled SNJLRT to advance rapidly. But any gamble carries risks, and any extension of SNJLRT may be captive to the same reliance on New Jersey to advance it. That’s problematic, since the state’s debt load has become a hot political issue. Federal funding? The Bush Administration has proposed reducing federal capital fund- sharing percentages for transit from 80 percent to 50 percent – shades of the bad old days! (But no comparable punishment for highway construction, please note; ah, the joys of “free market” transportation!) On the plus side, the... State Seems ‘In for a Penny, In for a Pound’: Several voices at this year’s TransAction Conference in Atlantic City (April 10-12), both from NJ Transit and from the state Department of Transportation, commented publicly that New Jersey will commit to a Trenton extension of SNJLRT fairly soon. One high-placed DOT official at TransAction publicly suggested such a commitment could come by as early as this summer. The courage to commit to the extension is encouraging, given the flak the current project continues to take from anti-rail partisans and the “cold-shoulder” treatment delivered by nominal rail supporters. But at TransAction, state officials and NJ-ARP traded notes on... Economic Development Patterns Already Shifting, Changing: SNJLRT NIMBYs have ridiculed Burlington County’s economic development ideas for SNJLRT from every angle possible – and yet changes are already occurring, as developers (not DOT or NJ-ARP) express interest in (or commit to) real estate projects along the county’s waterfront. “Walk to station” has become a potent economic force even as SNJLRT construction proceeds (and despite setbacks such as toppling bridges, occurring in early April). DOT and NJ-ARP officials traded notes at TransAction on who’s expected to arrive where on SNJLRT ... and how such economic growth could be similarly encouraged in Trenton with the SNJLRT extension. Indeed, the ... Ridership Potential, Political Visibility of the Extension Could Prove Decisive: Trenton is the state capital, and state legislative officials likely can be persuaded that a (hyperbole, please) “world-class” transit system should grace the city’s streets. The political motivation, while misplaced, would arrive at the correct conclusion nonetheless: NJ-ARP believes ridership potential, including scores of state government employees, would be bolstered significantly if SNJLRT penetrated Trenton’s office center directly (and we don’t discount the potential already lined up with the existing system). New Jersey Association of Railroad Passengers NEWSLETTER REPORT April 16, 2001 Page 2 PRESIDENT’S PERSPECTIVE NJ-ARP DIRECTORS by Leonard Resto and OFFICERS, 2001 Home Rule Strikes Out NJ-ARP OFFICE/NORTH By now, many NJ-ARP members have adjusted and adapted to a new anti-rail tactic: 1219 Garden Street the cry from opponents that passenger rail service “will create sprawl and reduce the Hoboken, NJ 07030 201-963-8979 (all times) quality of our lives.” Few things could be further from the reality. Douglas John Bowen, Director New Jersey is in a congestion mess, in large part, because of a combination of no zoning and poor zoning decisions. That’s allowed uncontrolled growth and expansion NJ-ARP OFFICE/SOUTH 22 Hartford Road in areas that have been ill-prepared to manage and sustain the results of the growth. Medford, NJ 08055 Results include overburdened school systems, inadequate sewer lines, nonexistent 609-654-5852 (eves only) or under-utilized rail, and a road system never meant to handle the type of traffic Carol Ann Thomas, Director common today. It all falls neatly under the “Home Rule.” For those of you fairly new to New Jersey, ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ home rule has been a mainstay of governance since early in the last century. It pretty much allows municipalities freedom to decide what goes on within its own borders. This NJ-ARP TELEPHONE HOTLINE sounds noble enough. But the reality is less so: Decisions within a town’s walls seriously Available 24 Hours; affect neighboring areas. Updated on Sundays Case in point: the recent building of 500 townhouses on North Passaic Avenue in 201-963-8979 (all times) Florham Park. Florham Park borders Chatham Borough. Along North Passaic Avenue NJ-ARP INTERNET HOTLINE in Florham Park is a large stretch of swampland, undisturbed until now. Florham Park http://www.nj-arp.org/hotline.html has allowed 500 townhouses to be built right at the Chatham Borough border. The NJ-ARP INTERNET INFO problem is that it is much closer and easier to get highway access by coming through http://www.nj-arp.org Chatham Borough rather than back-tracking thorough Florham Park. Florham Park Robert Scheurle, Webmaster reaps the benefits of additional tax revenue while Chatham Borough sows the downside of additional traffic and pollution. All this courtesy of home rule. And it’s hardly an isolated example. ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ Can this ever change? In a little-noticed action last month, Assemblyman Alex Leonard Resto, President DeCroce (R-36), chairman of the state Assembly Transportation Committee, put forth 973-635-5373 (all times) an idea to help end this zoning idiocy and help ease traffic congestion. He proposes Douglas John Bowen, Vice President setting up Transportation Enhancement Districts (TEDs). The TEDs would finally have 212-714-6969 (days) towns recognize that all local actions have consequences elsewhere. Under the TED 201-798-6137 (eves) concept, local towns would get together to discuss how actions within one town would William R. Wright, Secretary affect another’s traffic. Decisions would then be made accordingly. 908-272-5968 (all times) The TED concept is a first step toward developing a regional approach to zoning and William P. Armstrong, Treasurer the transportation needs of an area. From NJ-ARP’s vantage point, rail provides the 732-919-3660 (eves only) greatest “bang for the buck” in reducing traffic congestion in all areas. Growth will come Jim Ciacciarelli, Director or not come depending upon the zoning decisions made – not because rail got there! At 732-574-2577 (all times) some point, we have to realize that home rule is an idea whose time has come – 1and gone. Daniel Kerwin, Director 732-296-1985 (eves) A regional approach can make government more efficient, reduce expenses (and thus Albert L. Papp, Jr., Director taxes), and get New Jersey out of the congestion mess our well-intentioned forbears have 908-647-6659 (all times) left for us to solve. Carol Ann Thomas, Director DeCroce has indicated public hearings on this plan will be held later this year. 856-642-3800 (days) NJ-ARP will keep a close eye on this measure, and we plan to testify in support of the 609-654-5852 (eves) idea.